krsmith17

LOL you suggested that Yzerman might select a player because of where he plays, rather than how he plays... Please take a second a think about how dumb that sounds...

Terrible draft philosophy no matter where you are in the cycle. Always take the player that projects to be better for longer, not the player that projects to be NHL ready sooner. You're assuming neither Rossi or Perfetti are an outlier. Sure, everyone else has just as much potential to improve on any area of their game. However, I doubt any of the high end skaters are working as hard as someone like Perfetti to improve in that area, who has acknowledged that is something he needs to work on. And already has made strides in the right direction. I may have misread this part. I read it as every player he plays in the NHL will have a higher IQ.

There are people with a lot more insight and knowledge on all of these prospects than you or I, that aren't convinced that Rossi will translate to the NHL as a center either. I highly doubt he drops that far, but I'd be okay with him dropping out of the top 5. Why does this matter? We shouldn't be in any rush on any of these guys, and NHL readiness should never be a factor in drafting. Umm what? Physical development is rarely ever linear from one player to another. All players develop and mature at different rates. Some players will grow up to six inches after being drafted, others may not grow at all. Some players will gain 30lbs after being drafted, others might only gain 5. Also, why would you assume his skating would always be behind his peers? I wouldn't even say it's that far behind now... This probably isn't true either. If his hockey IQ is so off the charts as so many scouts seem to believe, he's probably already ahead of a lot of NHLers in that area already.

I'd be fine with a 2nd round pick, but there's no way Bergevin gives him up for that little, regardless of the situation. Fabbri + Rasmussen is too rich for me, even with an extension in place.

There are also scouts and draft analysts that believe his "skating deficiencies" are vastly overstated. He's certainly not the strongest skater in the draft, nor will he ever be, but skating is a skill that can be worked on and improved over time. And by all accounts, he is aware of that weakness in his game, and working hard / improving. The one hockey trait that I believe is unteachable, a player either has it or they don't, is hockey IQ. A player can have all the skill in the world, but without the brain for the game, they'll never reach their full potential. Sure there are different fundamentals that can be taught, but that elite hockey IQ, which Perfetti has, cannot.

Yeah, this is totally it. I wouldn't even be shocked if Yzerman didn't bother watch him play. I mean, the connections are just too much to pass up on... We all know the ONLY reason Perfetti is being considered at 4, is because Devellano and Osgood are co-owners of the team... It's not like Perfetti is an extremely skilled center, with off the charts hockey IQ... Again, Perfetti (or Rossi) wouldn't be my first choice(s) at 4, but to pretend that (t)he(y) would be this colossal failure, is absurd...

5'10", 165lbs, 24 years old vs. 5'9", 185lbs, 18 years old. What matters more? The one inch or 20lbs? Yup, because I said "only because of Point"... Of course others have been contributors, but if Tampa wins the Cup, Point will absolutely be in the running for the Conn Smythe. No, I didn't mention Point like there's a ton of small forwards dominating the post season every year. I mentioned Point because small skilled forwards can dominate the post season every year. What the f*** are you talking about? I never said I wanted Rossi at 4. In fact, I said I agree with you on wanting one of Stutzle or Raymond. I simply said he's an option, and Yzerman should be exploring every option. I'm not as high on Rossi either, but to call him a "smurf" and say "f*** him", "f*** this", "f*** that", just because you're upset that Yzerman may be considering him, is f***ed up... For about two or three seasons straight I watched about 60 or so Griffins games. That was like 5 years ago. Since then, I've probably only watched 60 or so games total. I haven't been able to watch near as much as I once was. But yeah, this is all just a giant ruse to make a bunch of random people on a hockey forum think I'm cool... Again, you have no idea what you're talking about.

Yeah, Brayden "the smurf" Point is really getting knocked around in the playoffs... If only he were a little taller... Hopefully he gets the Lightning a Cup, and not just a participation ribbon... The 5"10", 165lb center is the driving force in the Bolts playoff run, and a huge reason they're likely headed to the Stanley Cup Finals... You're such an angry individual, and all of the passive aggressive "lol"s in the world, doesn't change that... You can have a favorite player without hating on every other player, when in all likelihood you haven't even seen any of them play live. You read a couple articles and watch a few highlight videos, or maybe even more accurate for you, read their bio, and you're an expert... But yeah, f*** Perfetti, and f*** Osgood for being part of the team that Perfetti plays for...

I think it would take a bit more of a sure thing for me to move Larkin, but it's definitely close. Cozens may be better suited as a winger, and who in the 8 range could we take as Larkin's replacement? Lundell? I'm not sure I'd be too confident in that tradeoff...

A top 10 pick straight up is very different than the 8th overall pick AND Dylan Cozens. I wouldn't trade Mantha for either of those pieces individually, but for both, absolutely. I'm not completely against trading Mantha or any of our players / prospects, but it has to be a trade that makes sense. To me, trading Mantha for a top 10 pick OR a top prospect, doesn't make sense. It would have to be both.

It's hilarious that you think the only reason Perfetti is getting 4th overall consideration, is because of Osgood / Devellano. Yzerman is not going to draft a player just because he plays for the team co-owned by a couple of his buddies. Whether you want to admit it or not, Perfetti and "the smurf" Rossi have the potential to be top tier, elite NHL players. Neither would be my first pick, and I'm with you in wanting one of Stutzle or Raymond, but they certainly wouldn't be bad picks.

What makes them more qualified? Because they get paid to cover the sport? There are some members of that board that I would say are MUCH more qualified than anyone here. Others, not so much. Bob McKenzie, Pierre Lebrun and Elliotte Friedman cover every team and probably don't carry any bias. But then there's a bunch of other guys that cover specific teams and absolutely carry bias. Steve Simmons (complete moron) - Toronto Sun, Larry Brooks - New York Post, Craig Morgan - Arizona Sports, etc. definitely carry bias. Just because some of these guys have a voice, doesn't mean they're worth listening to. Some of their takes are awful. Hence, someone thinking that Teddy Blueger is a top 5 defensive forward in the league... If the voting were done without any bias, I'm sure the list would be much shorter. Maybe 10 or so players, rather than 38. Regardless, Larkin wouldn't be on that list, nor should he be. He's not a top 10 defensive player. But not many 23 year old players are. You can continue to hate on Larkin all you want. He's a very good player, that's only going to get better. He's also going to be the next captain of the Detroit Red Wings.

Yeah, I was really riled up there... Thanks for calming me down... "If" Mantha decides he wants a one or two year deal, that also doesn't mean we trade him now. It means we have one or two years to try to extend him, and if for whatever reason we can't, then we look to trade him. No one said anything about "forcing players to stay" either. Like I said, Mantha has made it clear that he wants to stay. There's absolutely no reason to think that will change.

I don't get this "if he refuses to sign long-term" nonsense... Everything I've heard and read on Mantha is that he wants to stay in Detroit. He just bought a massive home somewhere in the suburbs. He's not going anywhere, and I don't think he will be difficult to get signed. Same applies to Larkin and Bertuzzi. Most players are loyal to the team that drafted them, until given a reason not to be. I highly doubt the Ilitch's or Yzerman have done anything to make them want out.

Again, there's no way both Byfield and Stutzle are available at 4. One, maybe. Two, no chance. Also, Ottawa, like every team, should be taking BPA at 3 and 5. If that happens to be two forwards, so be it. If they have one of Drysdale or Sanderson in their top 5, great, but it's very possible that they value the forwards more. Trading Mantha straight up for a pick in the 10 range would be a terrible move. I'd consider if for a top 5 pick, but even then, the team would probably have to add a sweetener. There's no guarantee that a Raymond, Rossi or Perfetti will be as good as Mantha, let alone a Lundell, Holtz or Quinn... If you were offering Mantha straight up for pick 9 or 10, I guarantee Minnesota or Winnipeg would take it and run.

The "rise" and "fall" of some of these players is completely media driven. I highly doubt it's as much of a thing inside NHL organizations. Most of these players haven't played a single game in 6 months, so not a whole lot has changed. Sure, some of the European players can alter their stock slightly, since they're actually playing again, but even then, I doubt a team that has heavily scouted a Stutzle or Raymond are seeing anything they didn't already know about the player. The meetings / interviews since March could change things slightly as well, but again, teams (general managers / scouts) have gotten to know these kids inside and out long before the stoppage. I would think if Sanderson were ranked 5th on a team's draft board back in March, he's still right around there in September / October.

Yeah, these awards are voted on by the PHWA, and are basically meaningless. I am kind of surprised Larkin didn't receive a single top 5 vote, especially when you consider players like Luke Glendening and Teddy Blueger (who?) received votes. But really, all it means is that some of the voters are completely out to lunch, and none of the voters see Larkin as a top 5 defensive center (which I would agree with). 38 players receiving votes when Larkin didn't receive a single one, does not mean that those 38 players are better, or even better defensively, than him. I mean, who really thinks that half of the players on that list are top 5 defensive players in the league? Some of the votes really make you questions one's sanity. If instead of voting, this were decided on by actual quantifiable stats, I'm sure Larkin would be there ahead of a lot of those players. Instead it's a dumb award voted on by dumb writers.

For sure. As great as Lafreniere will be, I'd rather have two of Byfield / Stutzle and Raymond / Rossi / Drysdale. Ottawa should make out like bandits in this draft...

I think this is pretty standard. I'd assume they're having multiple meetings / interviews with at least half a dozen guys in their range. I would hope they're having as many video chats with Stutzle and Raymond...

Larkin has already proven that he has the ability to score 70+ points. I think he'll end up closer to that range most seasons than the 60+ he was on pace for this season. Larkin is still very young, playing on a historically bad team. I don't expect you to take that into consideration, but it absolutely is a factor in his production. "BuT hIs LiNeMaTeS pRoDuCeD mOrE!"... None of them were directly matched up against Crosby, McDavid, Matthews, MacKinnon, etc. I'm surprised Larkin didn't get a single Selke vote, but I'm sure he will in the coming years. Again, he's just coming off his age 23 season, and still has a lot of room for growth at both ends of the ice. He'll be fine.

Does anyone actually think that Eugene Melnyk is going to willingly spend money on bad players on terrible contracts though? I have my doubts, since he's not willing to spend money on good players on reasonable contracts...

As far as I know, no leagues have started up regular season yet. Just a few pre-season games. I believe regular season starts this week for some of the European leagues.

@ChristopherReevesLegs, are there any prospects in this draft that could potentially be available at 4th overall (not including Lafreniere / Byfield), that you think would immediately become our top prospect (above Seider)?

YOU really have no clue how good Seider is. Seider will be graduated, therefore no longer be a prospect. Kidding aside, I agree. I'm not convinced Drysdale will be a better prospect than Seider (maybe), but I do think there will be better prospects available at 4 than Seider. I think Stutzle would be considered a better prospect than Seider. I also think Raymond or Rossi could be right there with him as well. Either way, we need to hit big on this pick. I hope Yzerman takes one of Stutzle or Raymond (assuming Byfield doesn't drop to us)...

I'd say there's a decent chance one of Byfield or Stuzle falls to 4, but no way they both do. If we were at 2, it would be a tough choice, but I think I'd have to take Byfield, as tempting as the Seider - Stutzle bromance would be. Yes, if by some miracle Byfield drops to 4, you take him. Don't overthink it. I'm as high as anyone on Raymond, but Byfield probably has the highest ceiling and floor of any player in this draft. If we're trading Mantha for a pick in the 10 range, there better be an elite prospect coming along with it. I know I'm in the minority, but I wouldn't take Askarov anywhere near the top 10. 20, maybe, but even then, probably not. If we were to get another pick in the first round, the 4th overall pick shouldn't have any barring on the type of player we choose with the later pick. Always BPA.